Method of forming wheels



Dec. 1, 1936.

W. H. FARR METHOD OF lFORNITNG WHEELS- Original Filed July 8, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l .MMM

ATTORNEY.

Dec. l, 1936. W FARR Y' 2,062,564

METHOD oF FORMING WHEELS Original Filed July 8, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR. l WzrrewEFar- BY A TTORNEY.

Dec. 1, 1936. w. H. FARR 2,062,564

METHOD 0F`FORMING WHEELS Original Filed. July B, 19152 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V EN TOR. Wren/EMI;

ATTORNEY.

,.30 away from the roll at periodic intervals.

Patented Dec. l, 1936 METHOD F FORMING WHEELS Warren H. Farr, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Budd Wheel Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corpora- -tion of Pennsylvania Application July s, 19s2,seria1 No. 621,417

Renewed October` 12, 1936Y 2 claims. (c1. ca -15933) My invention relates to methods of fabricating metal wheels, particularly of the pressed metal artillery type. i

A primary object of my invention is to fabri- 55 cate wheel parts, particularly the spokes of an artillery wheel, by a. means and in a manner that shall be more accurate in holding the metalgauge thickness andy forming the contours of the parts, and that shall have other advantages.

#im Another object of my invention is to form metal wheel parts by less actualrolling and other eiort than in the usual methods of forming such parts.

Broadly, the invention comprises the method 1,15 of rolling a wheel blank radially, or progressively pressing it along perimetrally-spaced radial paths to produce radial formations, ribs or spokes thereon.

In eiecting this result, a pair of die-pressing .Z rolls, having any desired perimetral and axial contours, are arranged to receive the discs or spider spokes therebetween, whereby to vary the =disc or spider gauge and to press the spokes, ribs or other formations to uniform or varied .Z radial section and any suitable axial section.

A movable carriage, on which the blank is mounted, is normally biased -toward the rolls. A cam and plunger structure controls the biasing means, whereby the carriage moves toward and An indexing device, mounted on the carriage base, provides step-by-step turning movement of the blank about its axis, between the rolling operations.

The arrangement is such that the blank lies in a plane directed through a position between the rolls, At a predetermined position of the rolls about the axes thereof, the cam releases the carriage to thrust the blank in the direction L of its plane between the rolls, whereupon the rolls travel outwardly along the blank to simultaneously press the same and force it away from the rolls. As this action is completed, the cam engages the plunger to temporarily hold the carriage in its outermost pOStOIl- All the beginning of the return or feeding movement of the carriage, the blank is turned about its axis, through an angle equal to the distance between its spokes or other formations, thus presenting another blank portion for rolling, as in the rst described instance; this operation being repeated automatically until all of the forming operations are completed.

The invention will be better understood from operation.

a considerationof the accompanying drawings,

in which, n

Fig. l is a side view, partially-in elevation and partially infsection, ofa machine for practicing the method of my invention. V5

Fig. 2 is atop plan View ofthe ,device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View, similar to Fig. .1,l showing the parts as positioned at thebeginning ofa rolling Fig. 4 is a detail view, in perspective, of a'spoke 10 of one form which may be made in the machine rof the other figures.

Fig. 5 is a view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. 15 Figs. Sand '7 are views, in axial section.` and in side elevation, respectively, of a-,Wheel part which may be fabricated according to the method of my invention, and I k Fig. 8 is a view, in section, of die-press rollsy of modified form 'for vshaping the structure of Figs. Gand 7.. Y Referring particularly to Figs. f1, 2, v3, and 5,

the machine comprises albase I of anyy suitable character, such as the inverted substantially25 trough-shape illustrated, astandard thereon having laterally-spaced portions 8 extending perpendicularly therefrom, a carriage support I0 on the base 1, a carriageIZ'having side flanges in grooves I3 of the support I2, a blank-receiving 30 pin I4 mounted on the carriage, an index lever support I5 mounted on the carriage supportIO at one side ofr the carriage, a member I6`fon the carriage I2, for supporting a lever I8 that carries a roller 2I engaging a star wheel II on the pin 35 -I4, a pin I9 extending between the sides of the carriage I2 at the under side thereof, a lever 20 having bifurcated end 22 embracing the pin I9, a pin or shaft 24, extending between the sides of the base l, for pivotally mounting the lever 20, 40 y a cross beam 26, in the base l, supporting a bearing 2l for a plunger 28 and having a projection 29 on said bearing, a spring 30 extending between the lever 20 and the projection 29, and a wearing plate 32 on the lever 20. y 45 Rolls 35 are mounted on shafts 36 that are journaled between the standard portions 8 and connected, through a suitable gear-wheel train 3l to a motor 38 in the base 1. 'I'he gears 31 50 also Iextend between the motor 38 and a cam 40 that is mounted on a shaft 42, opposite the plungl er 28.

As indicated more clearly in Fig. 2, a spoke 44 is directed along a line, in a plane between the 55 adjacent pressing surfaces of the rolls 35. The blank is accurately held in this position by the star wheel l1 that is engaged by the roller 2| on the lever I8. The latter is pivotally mounted on the member I6 and biased toward the star wheel l1, as by a spring 48.

Theindexing device comprises a dog 50 that is pivotally mounted, by a pin 5| on the member I5, and biased tothe left, as 'viewed in Fig. 1, by a spring 52 that is secured to a stationary pin 53. The dog 50 extends vertically in the path of movement of the arms of ther spider, so that, when the carriage moves to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, it is carried with the spider to slip from under the adjacent spokejso that the position of the spider is unaffected. On the return movement of the carriage, the dog 50, being in the path of one of the spokes and not movable to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, it thus turns the spider about its axis, through an angle, equal to the'distance'between two of thespokes, topos1- tion a succeeding spoke for the rolling or progressive pressing operation.

The accentuating device, including the star Wheel I1 and the roller2l,`while rmly holding the spider in position, may be forcibly released by engagement of the spider with the indexing device. Othervmeans may be provided to hold the Vs'pider'in position, the 'means shown being merely illustrative of one form which may be employed.

Adirections indicated by arrows thereon; the v'cam @4U continuing to rotate clockwise during the I spoke-rolling operation. Y f Also, during this operation, the blank is forced by, and away from the rolls against the vaction -,of the spring 3U, thus'insuring' proper holding 'relation between the rolls and the blank. In 'the meantime, the leading face ofthe cam" 40 has taken up a position, adjacent to the head of the 'plunger 28 to again hold 'the blank against movement toward and to movethe blank'futher away the blank is released and fed toward the rolls and the action above described is repeated.

In Fig. 4, a spoke of relatively simple channel section illustrates one form which may be readily formed by comparatively simple roll shapes.

In Figs. 6 and 7, a spider is shown having a hub portion 55, spoke portions 56 and radial side ribs 51. The spider has a Wheel plane portion 58 `rof radially-outwardly-converging-tapered gauge, also extending along the spokes. The ribs 51 extend from the hub outwardly along the spokes substantial distances along curved lines. The ribs 51 and the tapered-gauged wheel-plane portions of the spokes may readily be formed, in one operation, according to the method and by the machine of'my invention, by suitably shaping Ythe rolls `35, as indicated in Fig. 8. In this figure, the section corresponds to a section taken substantially along lines 8-8 of Fig. 6, it being understood that the roll section varies in accordance with the section at `the blank from the radially inner portion thereof, having a heavy-gauge wheel-plane portion and extensive axialrib sections, to and beyond the 'radially outerfportion,

where the ribs disappear;v the rolls forming both `the wheel-plane-gaugeand the axial and radial contours of the ribs.

'While Ihave shown vand described a particular phase of my invention, changes may be elected therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, as set forth in the appenlded claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of forming spoked wheel bodies which comprises providing a blank comprising a rhub portion -and integral,l radially extending, substantially untapered spoke portions, and then simultaneously tapering and contouring said spoked portions by a radial rolling operation as to each spoke along Vthe extent of each spoke to form a rolled grain therein extending substantially only in one direction and in the line of extension of thespoke.

2. The methodof forming Wheel spiders which comprises forming a meta-l blank to a spider shape, comprising a substantially tubular hub barrel portion and ya plurality of radially extending vspoke portions transversely to `the axial extent of the hub portion, and radially rolling the spokeportions of said blank in a vmanner to provide a tapering thickness radially .of said spoke portions and to simultaneously provide in said spoke portions radially `extending -ribs of tapering depth, the ribs being transversely extending as respects the initial plane of the spokes per se.

WARREN H. FARR. 

